Yankees Linked To Pirates Star As Trade Deadline Nears

The New York Yankees are presumably shopping around for a third baseman.

Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez is the name that’s been everywhere in connection to New York, but he’s not the only third baseman with value who might be available before the July 31 trade deadline.

On Sunday, Foul Territory’s Erik Kratz and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal discussed another option for the Yankees during an episode of the Foul Territory podcast.

“How about (Pittsburgh Pirates’) Ke’Bryan Hayes?” Kratz said. “He would add that defense (New York needs), he would lock down the No. 9 spot in the lineup … maybe he has an uptick (in plate production) when he’s in a winning situation.”

Rosenthal concurred with Kratz’s idea but also wondered if the Yankees and Pirates would struggle to match up on a package for Hayes.

“Yes, he would give something to the Yankees that they badly need, and that’s defensive improvement,” Rosenthal replied. “They have been better defensively this year, and they’ll be better with Jazz (Chisolm Jr.) at second … Ke’Bryan Hayes does fit from that perspective, and I would expect that if he got out of Pittsburgh he’d be a better offensive player … I’m not sure what they’d be looking for from the Yankees, because what they need, Pittsburgh, is a group of young hitters to support the young pitching that they have.”

“Can the Yankees provide that?” Rosenthal continued. “I don’t know. You’re not getting Jasson Domínguez for Ke’Bryan Hayes. They don’t have many other young hitters. I guess Spencer Jones would be one. He’s in the minors; he’s doing okay. But I don’t know that you do that if you’re the Yankees, either.”

Hayes, 28, entered the All-Star break slashing .238/.284/.577/.861 with two home runs, 31 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 328 at-bats. A former No. 32 overall pick, Hayes has been with the Pirates organization his entire career. He won a Gold Glove in 2023.